Vectors to ore in replacive VMS deposits of the northern Iberian Pyrite Belt: the case study of Aguas Teñidas deposit

Abstract

Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits represent a major source of base, precious and other metals of economic and industrial importance. The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is an outstanding VMS district located in the SW Iberian Peninsula. It is arguably the largest known accumulation of sulphides on the Earth's crust, and represents the main mining area in Spain and one of the main zones of base metal production in Europe. As in other mining areas, progressive exhaustion of the most shallow and easily accessible deposits is leading to increasingly complex exploration. In this context, the combined study of the mineral systems and the development of new exploration strategies and technologies based on geophysical methods and vectors to ore play a vital role.